Opportunities For Youth To Become Part Of Voters List : Election Commission of India

Organisation : Election Commission of India
Announcement : Opportunities For Youth To Become Part Of Voters List
Applicable For : 17+ year old youngsters
Applicable State/UT : All States India
Website : https://eci.gov.in

Youth Voter List Registration Opportunities

More Opportunities For Youth To Become Part Of Voters List :
** 17+ year old youngsters can now apply in advance for having their names enrolled in Voter’s list and not necessarily have to await the pre-requisite criterion of attaining age of 18 years on 1st January of a year.

** ECI led by Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Shri Anup Chandra Pandey have directed the CEOs/EROs/AEROs of all States to work out tech-enabled solutions such that the youth are facilitated to file their advance applications with reference to three subsequent qualifying dates i.e. 01st April, 01st July and 01st October and not just 1st January.

Related / Similar Facilities : CEO Kerala View Booth Level Officer (BLO) Registration Application Details Online

** Henceforth, the Electoral Roll will be updated every quarter and eligible youngsters can be registered in the next quarter of the year in which he/she has attained the qualifying age of 18 years. After getting registered, he/she will be issued an Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC).

** For the current round of annual revision of electoral roll, 2023, any citizen attaining the age of 18 years by April 1, July 1 and October 1 of 2023 can also submit an advance application for registration as a voter from the date of draft publication of electoral roll.

Qualifying Date To Registration For Youth Voters :
** As per existing policy, revision of electoral rolls with reference to 1st January of the coming year as the qualifying date was done normally in the later part of each year in all States/UTs (normally in the last quarter of a year) so that final publication of the electoral rolls is made in the first week of January of the succeeding year.

** This meant that a large number of young persons who completed 18 years after 1st January had to wait for Special Summary Revision of the next year for enrolment and were not able to participate in elections held in the intervening period. The Commission has also made the registration Forms more user friendly and simpler.

** The newly modified Forms will come into force on 1st August, 2022. All applications (claims and objections), in old forms, received before 1st August, 2022 will be processed and disposed of and in such cases, there is no need to file application in new forms.
The Commission has ordered Annual Summary Revision with reference to 01.01.2023 as the qualifying date in all States except the Poll Going States.

** Pre-revision activities include Rationalization/Re-arrangement of Polling Stations; Removal of discrepancies of Demographically/Photo Similar Entries; Preparation of Supplements and integrated draft roll with reference to 01.01.2023 as the qualifying date.

** Special camps will be organized by CEOs on weekends for which the date will be publicized by concerned CEOs. The final electoral roll will be published on 5th January 2023.

Polling Station Rationalization :
** As part of the Annual Summary Revision, polling stations, having more than 1500 electors, shall be rationalized/modified as per the given schedule and before the draft publication of electoral rolls in accordance with instructions contained in Manual on Polling Station, 2020.

** A new Polling Station shall be created only after rationalizing the sections to the adjacent Polling Stations to the possible extent.

EPIC-AADHAR Linking

** For linking of AADHAR number with Electoral Roll data, provision has been made in the modified registration forms to seek Aadhaar details of electors.

** A new Form-6B has also been introduced for collecting Aadhaar number of existing electors.

** However, no application for inclusion of name in electoral roll shall be denied and no entries in electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar Number.

** A Time bound drive is being started w.e.f. 01.8.22 for collection of Aadhaar number of the existing electors. Furnishing of Aadhaar number is purely voluntary.

** Objective of the programme is to establish the identity of electors and authentication of entries in Electoral Roll.

Deleting Repeat/Multiple Entries Erom Electoral Roll

** Detailed Procedure of Deletion of Repeat/Multiple Entries has been specified. In repeated/multiple entries reported by individual citizens, BLAs of political parties or RWA representatives, field verification is mandatorily done in each and every case.

** Name of the elector would be deleted in the electoral roll only at the place where he/she is not found to be ordinarily residing.

Participative Process- Involving BLAs
** With a view to ensure more involvement of political parties, the Commission has allowed Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognized political parties to file applications in bulk, subject to the condition that a BLA shall not submit more than 10 Forms to BLO at one time/in one day.

** If a BLA files more than 30 Applications/Forms during the entire period of filing claims and objections, then the cross verification must be done by ERO/AERO themselves. Further, the BLA will also submit a list of application forms with a declaration that he has personally verified the particulars of the application forms and is satisfied that they are correct.